Weekend in Plymouth

Last month we took a roadtrip down to Plymouth to visit some of my family. I’ve written before about how much I love the South West and it always feels so much like a second home to me. The trip turned out to be really toddler friendly so I thought I’d share where we stayed and some of the places we visited.

Stayed: We stayed at the Azure Apartments (no 43) which are absolutely amazing. As soon as you walk through the front door you’re met with the most beautiful view across Plymouth Sound. The living room and main bedroom both have stunning sea views and you can spend a LOT of time just staring out taking in the scenery. The flat itself has 2 bedrooms, a main bathroom and ensuite and a kitchen/open plan living space. We’ve stayed here twice now and found it ideal for a baby/toddler – as everything is on one level you feel that they can wander around safely and you can actually relax! (Once you’ve moved the two glass vases safely out of reach that is!)

Food:

Breakfast Day 1 – The Dock – About a 10/15 min walk from the flat is the BEST place for breakfast – pancakes, omelettes, eggs, full breakfast, they have it all. It gets very busy so best to either book or go early to make sure you get a seat. The views again are perfect and you can sit looking over the marina at the yachts moored up and take in the sea view. They also do a good kids menu which includes breakfast options such as scrambled eggs, pancakes and fruit.

Breakfast Day 2 – Royal Corinthian Yacht Club Plymouth – Another good choice for breakfast, within walking distance and amazing sea views (notice a theme going on here.) The sign outside advertising breakfast pancakes drew us in and we weren’t disappointed. A lot quieter than the Dock as we visited on a Monday morning but this suited us and the waitress even brought him over some milk which was nice!

Saturday night Tea – The West Hoe Fish Fryers – voted best fish and chip shop in Plymouth on Tripadvisor and right around the corner. We treated ourselves to a takeaway and enjoyed an evening in watching the lights twinkling across Plymouth Sound, glass of wine in hand.

Sunday night Tea – Maritimo Wine and Tapas Bar – One of the best meals we’ve had in a long time, the Maritimo Wine and Tapas bar was perfect. A bit out of the way and down a lot of steps (we carried our pushchair down but this might not suit everyone) we were greeted by really friendly staff and taken to a window table overlooking the sea. The food was amazing; we ordered a range of tapas to share and it was all really good. The little one wasn’t keen on sitting still and we were trying our best to keep him entertained as we thought we were disturbing the couple sat behind us. However, seeing us struggling trying to keep him amused, the woman turned round in her seat and told us that they had two kids at home and were just out on a child-free date night. She said she knew how hard it is and to not worry in the slightest. (This made our evening so thank you! ) The view from this restaurant alone is worth the visit but the food, drink and atmosphere was also spot on when we visited – would definitely recommend.

Activities:

West Hoe Park is definitely worth a visit – it’s a really family friendly park with lots of activities and things for the little ones to do. The kids play area is spotless and up-to-date and there was a great selection of things to choose from. There’s also a Treasure Island Pirate themed part of the park which includes trampolines and crazy golf and in the warmer weather there’s a train and bouncy castle etc.

This area of Plymouth has so much to offer families and there is such a great choice of places to eat, drink and explore. The National Marine Aquarium and the Barbican are also a short walk away and the Hoe has so much space to walk and take in the view. It’s an amazing place for a holiday and we can’t wait to go again soon.